While Mount Melleray Abbey may be empty after it was closed in January, a new hostel has breathed life into the 190 year old monastery. St Declan’s Way Hostel, settled beneath the Knockmealdown Mountains, along the holy path of St Declan, is a site for “the days between destinations,” catering to travellers who are looking…
“The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion – protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – is not only under pressure, in many countries it is disappearing,” warned Regina Lynch, Executive President of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International and native of Co. Tyrone. Ms Lynch expressed…
Shortly after Pope Leo XIV lamented the declining birth rate in Europe, the cardinal of Tokyo said Japan is also facing a similar crisis. In Rome, Japanese Cardinal Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo said Japan’s birth rate has been significantly low in recent years, with the total fertility rate standing at 1.15 per woman in 2024.…
Christian lay leaders are seeking representation in the upcoming parliamentary election in Bangladesh scheduled to be held in February. Leaders of the Bangladesh Christian Forum met with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Joint Secretary Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir on October 13 and sought nomination from the party for Advocate John Gomes from the Christian community for…
The Vatican’s child protection board said on October 16 that the Catholic Church has a moral obligation to help victims of clergy sexual abuse heal, and identified financial reparations and sanctions for abusers and their enablers as essential remedies. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors focused on the issue of reparations in its…
It’s fair to say that the world has been very fractured lately,” said celebrated musician Malachi Cush, who offers up a potential lifeboat for those feeling the weight of growing division, violence, and anxiety with his recent album Healing Sounds. The album, released on October 3, is Mr Cush’s seventh studio album and features a…
Catholic leaders in Nigeria have weighed in on a recent call by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for the Trump administration to redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) over alleged Christian persecution. Republican Senator Ted Cruz introduced legislation in September that would require the Trump administration to adopt the…
On October 16, Pope Leo XIV called on world leaders to show responsibility as he urged the international community to focus on the multitudes across the globe who face hunger, wars and misery. Addressing the World Food Day global ceremony that also marked the 80th anniversary of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation at its…
Fr Darren Brennan opened the doors of St Paul’s Parish Centre in Belfast and welcomed parishioners and community members to ask questions about the faith as part of a lay initiative for the Belfast Rosary Festival, which took place last week. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Brennan shared that around 50-60 people attended the…
Czech Catholic bishops welcomed the results of the parliamentary elections on October 3–4, which saw a populist party win the most votes but fall short of a majority, while a far-left coalition that bishops had warned had an explicitly anti-Church platform failed to enter Parliament. The ANO 2011 party, led by billionaire former prime minister…